Steering wheel shake aound 80mph

[Draper]

Hey all, I've started noticing a shake/vibration in the steering wheel at speeds around 80mph. The phenomenon disappears once you hit 85 or drop below 75 - so it's just a small window.

Initially i thought it was an issue with the tires (18" Blizzak winter set) so I had the dealer rebalance them, but the issue is still there.

Has anyone else seen something like this before? I don't mind taking it back in, but would be nice to know if it's a common issue or not.

[kaykay]

Strange that it shakes in such a small window. I can't explain that.

Check to see if you have any bent wheels? Even a slight deformation will cause the car to shake.

[GOLFFRR]

i was going to say balance but looks like you already did that so hmm have no idea. Lets see what others say when they chime in

[cmk227]

Two problem. Wrong balance or you have a bend wheel. The other problem could be a bad rotor. If that was the fact it would always do it. Please have them check it again.

[m3 bud]

I have the same issue. I need to check orbit goes away above 85mph, but around 75mph There is a slight vibration.

I plan to bring it to the dealer soon. Interested to hear if there may be something else causing it.

[nick3753]

Any suspension or wheel mods?

[Krozi]

Most common issue is unbalanced wheels or bent wheel. If it wasn't doing it before then it's probably not a wheel weight issue since the glue BMW uses to put the wheel weights on is strong as shit. My guess is a slight bend in the wheel. I took my car on some back roads yesterday and now I got a slight shake in the 70-85 ish range...most likely got a slight bend. I have VMR wheels though which aren't all that difficult to bend.

If the bend isn't extreme then the wheel can most likely be re-shaped. I had two bends in my wheels and they were both re-shaped no problem.

Also, when the tires are cold in the morning, they will shake a bit at speed regardless of how well balanced your wheels are.

[J08M3]

My guess is it was balanced improperly. I had this very issue and felt it at 80mph. Had it balanced numerous time, then had to take it to someone else. Once I got it balanced by someone who knew what they were doing the problem went away.

[M3Fool]

Check the tires......... some develop crazy little bulges that are not alwys that noticable at low speeds, especially since the car has a hard ride normally anyway.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by Krozi

Most common issue is unbalanced wheels or bent wheel.

You forgot a wheel having too much runout, like one of mine. But since many cars have a slight shimmy above 75 mph, I thought it was the nature of the beast . It wasn't until I powdercoated the wheels that the balancing tech told me a front wheel had too much runout. The shimmy is only present sometimes, and only if I let the steering wheel go, which I never do. Properly gripped, it's a non issue. So at least I know with a good wheel it'd go completely away.

Bottom line is check wheel runout before anything else .

[a burrito]

When you balanced them were the wheels off at all? Did they tell you?

I had the same issue and my driver side wheel was off balanced. Got it rebalanced and no more shimmy.

[bunny]

How bad is it to drive on a bent wheel? One of my wheels is bent but it will take some time before I can get it fixed. Should I not be driving on it until I get it repaired?

[Draper]

Thanks. I think I'll have them rebalance and do a once over to check for any front end oddities. It just seems so strange for it to be in such a small speed window.

If that fails I'll see if it persists once the normal (stock) wheels go back on. Could just be the 'knobby' winter tires.

Is it possible to check if the wheels are true or not? I might take the other set it (while they're off) just to check.

PS It occurs both when the tires are cold and warm. Switching the suspension to sport plus does seem to lessen it a bit though...

[Draper]

Originally Posted by a burrito

When you balanced them were the wheels off at all? Did they tell you?

I had the same issue and my driver side wheel was off balanced. Got it rebalanced and no more shimmy.

I assume the wheels were off - not sure how they'd do it otherwise. But I didn't watch them do it.

[piloto]

Originally Posted by jzbm3

I assume the wheels were off - not sure how they'd do it otherwise. But I didn't watch them do it.

I think he meant if the wheels were off balance (out of balance). On a proper balancing machine, you can tell if the wheel is off because you essentially won't be able to counter it with just adding weight on the opposing end. It may be within tolerance, but that may be enough for someone who's sensitive to steering wheel vibration to cause a nuisance.

[Draper]

Originally Posted by piloto

I think he meant if the wheels were off balance (out of balance). On a proper balancing machine, you can tell if the wheel is off because you essentially won't be able to counter it with just adding weight on the opposing end. It may be within tolerance, but that may be enough for someone who's sensitive to steering wheel vibration to cause a nuisance.

Ahh right. I guess I read that wrong...whoops.

No they didn't mention if they were out of spec to begin with. I'll be a bit more prying next time.

[Jdebitjr]

I just starting noticing the same issue. All stock set-up. Plan on having dealer check balancing, etc. Still have the original set of tires up-front, but recently had rear ones replaced.

[My 10th BMW]

If there is nothing wrong with a wheel,It is probably an issue with wheel bearings,or the wheel hub.
Check the flat area of the wheel were it bolts to the hub.It could have a bad area on it that would not show when balanced,because the balance machine holds the wheel from the center hole.
Hard to tell unless You do an on car balance.
Look for bad areas on the hubcentric lip.
Also look for dirt or rust or raised areas around the wheel bolt threads.

[ES_TRADER]

Originally Posted by bunny

How bad is it to drive on a bent wheel? One of my wheels is bent but it will take some time before I can get it fixed. Should I not be driving on it until I get it repaired?

u can drive on it, it just depends on where it was bent..sometimes air will slowly leak out...this happened to me...i drove on it for months..just kept filling it every 2days or so...finally got tired of it and got the wheel repaired....if ur not getting air leakage from the wheel and tire, id say you should be ok...if the bend is on the outside, then it may be purely for cosmetic reasons u fix it.....BTW what did u hit to bend it? oc roads are pretty decent

[1sikbmr]

I had this happen on my last car... It had after market wheels and it used to vibrate like crazy at only 60-70... Turns out i needed hub rings to fill the space... Then they rebalanced with the hub rings and the vibration went away

[BMWBoss]

Bent rim for sure...had this problem with my 335 aftermarket rims.

[Draper]

Originally Posted by 1sikbmr

I had this happen on my last car... It had after market wheels and it used to vibrate like crazy at only 60-70... Turns out i needed hub rings to fill the space... Then they rebalanced with the hub rings and the vibration went away

I thought about that, but popping off one of the center caps showed the wheels fit very snugly around the hubs.